Light filled the small room with the warm glow of the summer sun which was beaming just outside as the cool of dawn made way for the heat of the midday. The sounds of bird Pokémon could be heard calling in the distance and the area nearby was alive with the chirping of bug types as the thick of the forest in which the small village harboring the room kept the inhabitants well hidden. However, despite the medley of vibrant chittering and songs of the woodland, it was the distinct screech of a shrill voice which roused a small form from its rest.

A soft yawn joined the fray of sounds as a young girl with messy hair of strawberry blonde and fuchsia sat up in a daze, her body refusing to leave the confines of her warm bedding despite the heat of the sun pouring in from just beyond her window. A single, small fist slowly rose to her rosy face and lightly rubbed her eye as her nose twitched with the threat of a sneeze. Once her vision was mostly clear and adjusted to the harsh sunlight filling her room, the child of dual-colored eyes looked around for the culprit that roused her from her sleep. With a small smirk, she crawled to the foot of her bed with her posterior pointed into the air and her torso just barely hovering above the mattress' surface, appearing like a stalking Glameow as she tentatively peered over the edge.

The sight of quick movement and the faint sound of scuffling claws against the wood floor was all the evidence the girl needed to make her assault and she pounced! Diving off the foot of her bed and landing on the cool, smooth floor, she swiftly spun on her hands and knees before pushing with her toes hard against the wooden surface. Such an act which she had so often practiced propelled her forward into the dark underbelly of her bed and right after the creature that was her target. However, it wasn't a flurry of rough fur, tough claws, and frantic wings that she was met with, but instead a hissing mess of soft fluff and the crinkle of leaves that was the startled form of her family's pet snoozing beneath her bed. The girl scooted out from beneath the bed as quickly as she could to avoid the flailing limbs of the frightened and so rudely awoken Pokémon, bumping her head on the base of the bed's frame in doing so. Holding the back of her head in mid-cringe, she blinked her magenta and green eyes rapidly to expel the forming tears, and through her bleary gaze, she saw the limber form of her ruffled, but unharmed Leafeon push himself out from beneath the bed after her, making sure to run his back along the bed frame where she had hit her head in a scratching motion.

"S-sorry, Kale. Have you seen Beri?" The girl quizzed with a pained smile on her face, to which the grass type only shook his head and snorted in distaste. By now, he knew that the child of his trainer was merely a pawn of her own Pokémon's pranks and that the real culprit had probably already run to the safety of the kitchen. Just as the girl had finished tending to the ding on her head and was scooping up the Leafeon into her arms did another familiar noise fill her ears from downstairs, although this time, it was a human voice.

"Opal, get dressed and come down from breakfast! Oh! And don't forget to grab your things- you don't want to be late!""Morning Mom!" Opal came racing down the stairs, nearly falling a few times as her socked feet threatened to slip out from beneath her as she moved across the hard floor. The Leafeon carried in her arms remained calm, but held one opaline eye open in wariness as he watched the young girl of ten years old skitter across her small home.

Darting into the kitchen on slippery feet, Opal nearly slid into the counter, however, her mother carefully swung her arm out and redirected the sliding girl towards a stool to catch herself on. "Thanks Mom! Have you seen Beri anywhere?"

"You mean this little tyke?" The petite woman of long red hair and blue eyes smirked as she raised her long skirt to reveal a small Noibat sitting on the top of her foot, nibbling happily on an Oran berry. "Silly girl- I was the one who sent him to wake you or else you'd oversleep and miss the orientation with the Professor." The woman, Rina Desa, put her balled fists on her hips and yapped,"And no daughter of mine is going to miss becoming a trainer because she is a lazy dunce! Now hurry and eat your breakfast." With her daughter's Noibat now happily sitting on her shoulder, Rina sauntered around the corner of the counter and hugged Opal's head, lightly pressing her child's cheek to her chest. "My sweet baby...."

"Of course, my dear." Rina released Opal and beamed, her lively vigor renewed. "Now hurry up and get out the door! I can't wait to have this house to myself!!"

"Heehee- but you share it with Daddy. Plus there's no way you'll be able to function without me here," Opal giggled as she gobbled down her cereal with great enthusiasm.

"Oh? Then I guess I'll just have another kid!"

This caused Opal to spit out her milk in a spray of astonishment, eliciting a loud cackle from Rina. "Mom!?! That's not funny!!"

"Now now, kid. Have you gotten everything?"

Rina came back over to her daughter, pulling the white satchel decorated in buttons of various colors and designs that was Opal's choice of bag. Scouring through it, she found what was ask for on the supply list- a few potions, Pokéballs, and change of clothes that were pajamas. I've raised you well, baby girl."Well, you look like you're ready. But, I want you to take this."

Rina reached her fingers into the collar of her shirt, gently pulling a delicate-looking feather attached to a necklace string from the inside of her clothing. Carefully, she lifted the necklace from around her neck, over her head, and gently put it over Opal's. "It's a Lunar Wing charm. I'm not sure if it works like in the stories, but it should at least give you some good luck on your journey. Now go make me proud, baby girl!"Soft panting came from Opal as she stood just about her village's largest building- the Center Hall. Her back rested against one of the wooden columns that helped to hold the structure's facade up as she struggled to catch her breath. Once she felt she had regained most of her air, she pushed inside and put on a smile.

Inside was the collection of a few people, most of which she could recognize, while a few others she could not. The one who caught her attention the most, however, was the only other child in the room: a frail-looking boy with long, white hair and a respectful look about his face. It was one that she knew well.

"Opal!" He had turned to look at the young girl as soon as she entered the room, and though he remained where he stood at the back of the room, he lightly waved his friend over.

"Morning Quartz! Morning Mr. Meme," Opal mused as she hurried over to the gathering of people. Upon reaching them, she scooted over to a dusty-haired man and hugged his side endearingly. "Hi Daddy." She beamed happily as his broad hand gently tussled her hair.

"Morning baby. Opal, this is Professor Birch, the Pokémon researcher for Hoenn, and his associates Mr. Bill and Professor Oak, the Pokémon researcher of Kanto."

Opal looked up to the three unfamiliar men and politely bowed to them in greeting. "Good morning, sirs."

"So you are Opal Desa, daughter of Rina Desa and Tyler Desa. How nice it is to meet you- you're father here is a former assistant of ours." The oldest of the three, the man known as Oak, spoke cheerfully. "I look forward to seeing the work you do on your adventure. Both of you." The eyes of Quartz were met as well. "Such as we've already explained to your friend, you two have reached the age of ten and are ready to begin your adventures of the regions. Do you have a Pokémon already?"

Opal gave a respectful nod and replied,"Yes sir, I do. But none have really had battle training, sir."

"Well, if that's the case, then I was right to bring these guys along," bellowed a hearty voice as Birch walked over, brandishing two gleaming capsules of red and white that were the trademark colors of a Pokéball. Crouching down to meet the children's level, he smiled and added,"Come over here, won't you both?" As Opal and Quartz approached, he offered the two capsules, to which the two children each took one slowly in a sense of wonder. Standing up and taking a step backwards, he continued,"Why not release them? They're to be your new partners now. I'm sorry that they're not only not from this region but also the same type. There have been others older who we've visited earlier and gained their own Pokémon, so these are the only ones left. Though I don't doubt their battling prowess one bit."

Both Quartz and Opal unleashed the two Pokémon from the capsules, flooding the room in a blinding crimson light. After a moment of stunned blindness, the people blinked their eyes and were greeted with the sight of two small, leafy pokemon dressed in vibrant green. One was a pale green quadruped with white spines around its neck and a large leaf sprouting from its head while the other was a more serpentine creature adorn with yellow curls and a broad leaf upon the tip of its tail. Each of the Pokémon looked around in confusion for a moment before trotting up to their respective new owners curiously.

"How....CUTE!!" Opal was the first to speak, uttering a sharp squeal as she launched herself at the Snivy close to her feet, scooping him up into her arms. It gave a startled hiss and writhed in her arms, though he couldn't break away from the excited girl's grasp. Years of tackling and snatching up scaly Pokémon sporting long claws and fangs made Opal almost an expert at wrestling and wrangling the elemental creatures, and soon the Snivy gave up.

Once the initial excitement that the new Pokémon brought to the table was sated, the elder professor continued. "Now that we have bestowed battle-ready Pokemon to you two, I also have a personal gift which to give you both." Oak moved forward and held out a pair of glossy, crimson devices that appeared quite high-tech. Giving them to each of the children, he added,"These are PokéDexes. As aspiring trainers related to former acquaintances of mine, it's only natural that I would see you as potential assistants yourselves. This device has been developed to register data of not only my finding, but those finding of all the others who own one. This allows for all of you who are assisting me to help each other find all the species of Pokémon that you can. After all, you all are separated among all the different regions It only makes sense for the PokéDex to act like a sort of electronic web, where all the individual devices are connected at a different end. But this means that if you run into a Pokémon that the PokéDex doesn't recognize, then you have to be the one to write its entry, so make sure to put only factual evidence in it, alright?"

"Yes sir!" The two children announced firmly in unison."So you'll be Suri from now on, okay?" The svelte form of Opal stood before her new team mate as the Snivy now known as Suri sat in the grass before her.

"Sssneee?" He cocked his slender, pointed head to one side with narrowed, hazel eyes before sighing in defeat. The creature was not ready to be subjected to more of the girl's chest-bursting hugs. His leafy tail swished as he pulled it around himself, only to find that someone else had taken ahold of it. "Sneee!" He hissed in reply as force was added to the pressure on his tail.

"Chii chiiii!" An excited chitter met with the ears of Opal and Suri as Beri tugged playfully on the broad leaf of the Snivy's appendage with his small, needle-sharp teeth. Swiftly, the Noibat was scooped up in Opal's arms and scolded.

"Beri, that's no way to treat a new friend! Now return." Dropping the little bat Pokémon back onto the grass that laden her village home, she pulled out a glossy red and white capsule and collected the chirping monster within the crimson beam that engulfed him once the orb was opened. Pocketing the now marble-sized orb, Opal squatted down to meet Suri at eye level and grinned, whipping out her new toy. "PokéDex, tell me what Suri's moveset is, please!"

"Zzt- Pokémon registered number 495. Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Being exposed to sunlight makes its movements swifter. It uses vines more adeptly than its hands, though when they are not feeling well, their tails droop."

"No, his moveset, please!!" Opal's voice was pleading and loud as she tried to reiterate her demand.

"Here. Try using this button," offered a soft voice as a slender, pale arm reached over the girl's shoulder and pressed one of the white buttons on the device. Looking up, Opal was met with the gentle face of her childhood and grinned. "Thank you, Quartz!!" She swiftly turned back to face the screen of the PokéDex as it began to compute her desired option.

"Ooooo," Opal mused with glowing eyes, her face glued to the device in wonderment.

"Wow. I guess the Professor was right. These Pokemon really are bred for battle," the pale-haired boy purred in a gentle voice delightfully as he continued to peer over the girl's shoulder at her PokéDex's screen.

Glancing over her shoulder to meet her friend's face, she inquired,"Huh? What makes you say that?" Her chartreuse and fuchsia gaze was wide and oblivious.

The boy adorn in a long, straight ponytail and loose-fitted garments back up and pulled out his own PokéDex and Pokéball gifted to him by the pair of professors. As he released his own Grass type starter, he delicately touched his device to Opal's, making it to where the tough, crimson plastic tapped softly together. Pulling back, he continued as Opal's eyes moved to her flickering screen. "As you can see, your Snivy not only has what is known as a hidden ability- a rare ability most species are bred for- but he also has two attacks which can only be learned through different lineages. He's similar to my Chikorita, Pepe. Pepe doesn't have a hidden ability, but he does have an egg move- Ancient Power. These two were definitely breed by skilled professors. But anyways, I'm glad I'll be getting to work with you, Opal." Quartz gave her a soft smile before gasping in shock as the girl launched herself at him, locking him in a hug. Softening his expression, he patted her back and accepted the kind gesture.

"Me too!!~" Opal cheered as she pulled away, her face lit up happily. She looked the boy over as he nodded and reached down to pick up his Chikorita. Studying him, the girl's eyes grew a little misty. The boy, though he looked perfectly fine for how he usually was, never was as lively as other children his own age. He was always frail and sickly, as evidence of his ghostly pale skin and limbs laden in gauze.

He always looks like this...like a little china doll that could break so easily. Opal shook away her churning thoughts and replaced her somber look with a cheerful one once more. "Even though we couldn't play much when we were little, I'm happy we get to go on an adventure together! Like long ago!!"

"Yeah, of course," the silver-eyed boy agreed with a nod. Turning to face the one way in and out of the village, he sighed and hugged Pepe close as the Chikorita gave a happy cry. "I suppose we should be on our way, huh?" He glanced to his side as Opal stood up beside him, holding Suri in her arms.

With her gaze bright as the daylight gleaming overhead, through the dense canopy, Opal smiled and faced the entrance. This was the start of their adventure. And with all of Hoenn to see alongside her best friend, it was bound to be an exciting journey.